


Closure

by lizandletdie



Series: From Shattered Places [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 20:39:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11722128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizandletdie/pseuds/lizandletdie
Summary: Set after From Shattered Places, Belle finally gets closure about Keith. Yes, it's the scene everyone has been asking me for since I wrote the main story: he finally dies.





	Closure

**Author's Note:**

> HEY GUESS WHAT
> 
> This fic marks my millionth word on AO3.
> 
> Now stop asking me what happens to Keith!

It was the first thing Rhys saw in the paper when he woke up that morning: _Duke Found Dead in Thames_. Somehow, he’d already known who it would be about before he read the article, which detailed the investigation into the suspicious death of Keith, Eighth Duke of Nottingham and generally scandalous figure in his own right. Apparently, he’d last been seen a few days previously stumbling out of a house of ill-repute before being found floating face down in the river. Most of the rest of the article was primarily about funeral arrangements and a short biography of the new heir – a bachelor cousin who lived in Manchester. For the most part, it was indistinguishable from any other article announcing the unexpected death of a member of the nobility. There were however a few paragraphs that hinted at the darker side of the man: a mention that the police were trying to determine if he went into the water by his own hand or someone else’s, and a request to the public to avoid speaking ill of the dead.

He was going to have to tell Belle. There was no way to avoid it, and he would have told her even if he could somehow have lied. She needed to know the truth, and he had no idea how she was going to take it. At least they weren’t in the city. Thank God for small miracles, because he could only imagine this was the biggest news to hit London in years and while Belle hadn’t had any contact with the late duke in close to five years it was still a good chance that her name would be brought up if she’d been at all in the public eye. There was still a possibility the police might track them down to find out when they were last in London.

Belle didn’t habitually take her breakfast downstairs, preferring instead to eat in her room and then spend an hour or two in the nursery with the girls and their nanny. He had no reason to expect he’d see her before luncheon, and he wasn’t sure if he should interrupt her morning or not. Ultimately, he decided to err on the side of telling her earlier. He needed to tell her eventually and felt like she might resent him for keeping it from her any longer than absolutely necessary.

He found her still in her room in a dressing gown as she sat at her vanity with Lizzie brushing her hair.

“Good morning,” Belle said as soon as he was in the room. She met his eyes in the mirror and smiled cheerfully, and he hated to ruin it but she was having more good days than bad now and this honestly couldn’t wait.

“Might I borrow my wife?” Rhys said to Lizzie, who nodded and set the brush on the vanity before quietly leaving. Belle picked it up and started brushing her own hair, but Rhys came to stand behind her and took the brush himself. He didn’t do this often, but he liked her hair and the excuse to touch her was always welcome.

Belle sighed happily and relaxed into him as he worked, and he knew it was only a temporary reprieve from his errand but it was such a pleasant one.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was so urgent you had to send my maid away?” she asked him with a teasing lilt to her voice. “I’m assuming there was something that couldn’t wait.”

“Unfortunately, no,” he said. “There was some news in the paper this morning.”

“Well, I’d certainly hope so,” she replied, catching his eye in the mirror and smiling. He could tell she was nervous, but she was doing her best to cover it up with a joke. He was so proud of her.

“Nottingham is dead,” he said and she went completely still. He wasn’t sure what to do to comfort her or if she wanted him to try, so in the end he ended up standing there silently with his hand resting in her hair as he waited for her to react.

He hadn’t known quite what to expect, but he hadn’t expected her to suddenly let out a horrible choked sob. She put her hand over her mouth and he could see tears on her cheeks. There wasn’t anything to do but let her cry, he’d known this would be emotional for her and it wasn’t ever going to have been easy.

“What happened?” she asked after a few moments, looking up at him with her eyes still wet with tears.

“They don’t know yet,” he said honestly. “He was found in the Thames, but they don’t know how he got there.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dressing gown.

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” she said before sniffling. “I’m not sorry he’s dead. I might have even killed him myself if I’d had the chance.”

“I know, darling,” he replied. “It’s all right. Cry if you need to.”

She nodded and sniffled again, seemingly trying to get herself settled before she spoke again.

“Did the paper have anything about me in it?” she asked quietly.

“No,” he said quickly. “You weren’t mentioned. Granted, it was the _Times_ and not one of the gossip rags, but they didn’t mention you at all.”

“Oh thank God,” she said. “I never want to see my name next to his in print again. You’ll ask Neal to keep an eye on the tabloids for me, won’t you?”

“Of course. I’ll write him this afternoon, but I’m sure he’ll be looking out for it regardless.”

“Thank you.” She caught his eye in the mirror again and smiled, but it was a weak smile. Still, she was rallying and he was so glad for it.

“You may not even be brought into it at all,” he said. “At least not publicly. I won’t lie, the police may very well stop by to make sure we haven’t been to London recently but we have witnesses that you were here all week. I’d be surprised if the papers bother with us, though. As scandalous as it was, It was a long time ago and I sincerely doubt you’re the only one who had a reason to dislike him.”

She nodded and sighed, he could see the tension falling from her shoulders. He took a chance and began brushing her hair again. She relaxed even more, and that was definitely a good thing.

“Are you going to be all right?” he asked her.

“It’s funny in a way,” she replied. “I’m not even really sad that he’s dead. I’m not happy, either, but it’s just a nothingness there. I suppose I’m relieved. I don’t think much about him, but now I never have to again and it feels so _good_ that I won’t ever need to worry about him. He can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

“No, he can’t. I doubt anyone would begrudge you relief that he’s gone.”

“I suppose I should call in his debts, shouldn’t I?” she asked, and it took Rhys a moment to register her change in the topic. “I know the estate is going to have a lot to pay out, and I want all of him gone now. I don’t ever want to think about him again.”

“I can send a telegram to my solicitor in London this morning and tell him to approach the estate as soon as possible.”

“Good,” she replied, straightening herself up with all the dignity expected of a lady. “I know I probably won’t get the whole thing back, I just don’t want it anymore. I don’t need it.”

“We’ll have it taken care of, don’t worry.”

“That’s good. I have to admit, I’m feeling a little out of sorts. Would you mind coming to the nursery with me? I just want to see the girls.”

“Of course, anything you want.”

“That’s what I want,” she said. “The rest of it can wait a little longer, I think.”

He waited for her to wrap her hair in a loose bun and he helped her pin it up before helping her to her feet. They’d moved into a larger house after Rebecca had been born, but it still wasn’t so large that the nursery was very far from their bedrooms. The nanny was used to Belle visiting in the morning, but Rhys usually didn’t visit with his daughters until later in the day so she did seem a bit surprised to see him. 

Rebecca was old enough that it was probably about time to hire a governess for her, but Molly was barely walking, so the nanny would be employed for a bit longer yet. Besides, Belle enjoyed working with Rebecca on her letters well enough that it could be postponed just a bit longer.

“Papa!” Rebecca said cheerfully from her place on the floor as soon as she noticed her father. She hopped up and ran to him, and he scooped her up into his arms and rested her on his hip. She was certainly old enough to realize that he wasn’t usually there so early in the morning, though Molly was still preoccupied with a pile of blocks.

“Hello, princess,” he said to her, tugging her braid lightly. She looked so much like her mother it was uncanny, while Molly was already beginning to favor him a bit. He just hoped she was as pretty as her sister. “Have you been working on your letters today?”

She nodded and squirmed until he let her down so she could go fetch her book to show him. He settled in one of her tiny chairs and let her flip through the pages to show him how well she had been doing at copying letters into the pages. He knew that he should be focusing on his daughter’s skill with penmanship, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes go to Belle. She was sitting on the floor next to Molly stacking the blocks so the baby could knock them over. It was a silly game, but Molly was laughing and shaking her hands in excitement every time the tower fell and Rhys was so entranced by the whole thing.

Regardless of whether or not Belle was happy that Nottingham was dead, Rhys was. There was now one fewer bad man in the world to protect his daughters from. He would have paid any amount of money for that peace of mind, the knowledge that a threat to his children had been eliminated. Perhaps that made him a bad person, but he couldn’t concern himself with things like that. The girls would never have to know the name of the man who had hurt their mother, and would never have to dodge him or his progeny in a ballroom someplace. He’d been taken beyond a place where he could be a danger.

Belle caught him looking at her and smiled. Molly was still kicking the blocks, though now she was holding one in each of her chubby little fists and laughing, and everything felt like it would be all right.

He leaned down to whisper a suggestion to Rebecca and she nodded happily and leapt to her feet, running over to fling herself into Belle’s arms which sent both of them collapsing to the floor in a fit of giggles that had Molly shrieking happily and joining the two in their happy little pile.

“Did your papa put you up to this?” Belle said between giggles, poking Rebecca’s sides to send the little girl into peals of laughter until she she was nodding and laughing and Belle pulled her into a tight hug. “He’s always causing trouble, isn’t he?” she asked their daughter with nothing in her voice but good humor.

“I’m incorrigible,” Rhys replied, coming to sit on the floor next to them and pulling Molly into his lap so he could bounce her a bit while her mother and sister played. “I didn’t have a nanny as good as yours when I was younger so I turned out rotten.”

“You certainly did,” Belle said, squeezing Rebecca in her arms until the little girl laughed again. “What are we going to do with him, darling?”

“Bed without supper,” Rebecca replied authoritatively.

“Truly? Do you think that’s the best choice?” Belle asked, looking to Rhys. “You heard her, my dear. I’m afraid your fate is sealed.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t help my case to throw myself on your infinite mercy, would it?”

“I don’t know,” Belle said. “What do you think, Rebecca? Should we forgive him?”

Rebecca hummed and looked up at her mother for guidance, clearly enjoying this little game.

“Yeah,” Rebecca said. “We should! But he has to apologize first.”

“Oh, well that I can do,” Rhys said, patting Rebecca on the head and leaning over to kiss Belle on the cheek. “I’m very sorry, my loves. Can either of you forgive me?”

Rebecca nodded happily, but Belle just leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. It was a lingering kiss, but nothing scandalous for the girls to see. Still, he hadn’t expected it today. He’d thought she might need the day to recover herself before wanting much physical contact, so this was a welcome surprise.

“Don’t let it happen again,” Belle said once she’d pulled back. He loved her smile, and her strength. No matter what, he would always love this woman who had fallen into his life so tragically and so unexpectedly, and he loved this life that they had built together and these two little girls who were so perfect in every single way. There weren’t any words to tell her, but he thought she probably knew.

There was nothing in Heaven or on Earth that could destroy their happiness, or ruin this blissful moment of peace in their lives.


End file.
